Spring was upon Equestria and all the towns were wrapping up winter. It had been several months since the changeling attack on Canterlot and the backlash that shook the palace, but finally everything seemed to be at peace again. Blueblood had kept his word, working faithfully to earn the forgiveness of his family, and getting to know his younger half-sisters. Princess Wintra and Coltyn had formally announced their courtship after settling the mess Upper Crust had caused, though they made it very clear that they were not in any hurry to follow Cadance and Shining Armor’s example.

As the last of winter melted away, Princess Wintra looked over the city from her room in the castle with a smile. She saw the first of the birds returning with the morning sun when somepony knocked on her door. Trotting back into the room and opening the door, the mail-pony delivered an envelope and continued on her way.

Opening the letter, Wintra recognized the familiar scrawl of her adoptive mother’s writing. She smiled as she read the first lines, praising her for her accomplishments and having her birthright returned and a short apology for not being able to make it back from their home in Van Hoover. But as she continued reading her smile faded, then worry pulled the corners of her mouth into a slow frown. The town seemed to be in a losing battle as winter continued and there were numerous reports of unnatural wails haunting ponies outside of town. Wintra gathered a few things before setting off to wake Coltyn.

Coltyn had mostly been assisting Princess Wintra with the weather and the two of them had been able to increase food productivity in the last months before winter so there was plenty to last until spring. He was combing his mane when an urgent knock came.

“Who is it?” Coltyn asked.

“Pack some things. We’re going to Van Hoover,” Wintra’s voice informed. “It’s going to be cold.”

“Okay, I’ll be right out,” he replied. ‘This doesn’t sound good,’ he thought, putting some of his heavier cloaks into a saddlebag. Wintra was pacing in front of his door when he opened it. “So what’s wrong?”

Wintra began walking as she explained, “My mother wrote me and it seems that winter won’t end there. They get the ground cleared by mid-afternoon and the next morning there’s a new blanket of snow.” She was trotting quickly through the morning crowd as they made their way to the train station.

Wintra had a short talk with the clerk and was given two tickets to Van Hoover. They boarded the train and were led to a private car.

“This is the first time I’ll meet your parents,” Coltyn pondered aloud.

“Heh, yeah,” Wintra answered, her mind obviously elsewhere.

Coltyn nodded, as he wracked his mind for possible causes of such a hard winter. One possibility was windigos but they hadn’t been seen in Equestria since the unification of the tribes. But as they drew closer to Van Hoover that thought began to feel more and more plausible.

The train rolled to a halt at the southern end of town. Coltyn and Wintra exited the train, and a pair of earth pony guards saluted the princess. Taking in the surroundings Wintra saw several unicorns melting snow as the pegasi cleared the rogue clouds from the sky.

“Welcome Princess Wintra. I’m Captain Ironside and this is Commander Sentry,” the Captain greeted.

“What has been happening here?” Wintra asked the group heading out of the train station.

“We’re not completely sure. We finished changing the season as scheduled, but when morning came it looked like it was still winter,” Sentry explained. “We’ve been wrapping up every day only to have the snow back by morning.”

“Hasn’t the night watch noticed anything?” Wintra asked.

The captain shook his head. “It seems that about 0300 a horrible shriek is heard, the temperature drops sharply, and a mass of clouds roll in and drop almost a foot of snow, all in a single hour.”

“What could cause such an event?” Wintra wondered aloud.

“Windigos,” Coltyn answered, flatly.

The other ponies looked at Coltyn, as if hoping it was a joke. It wasn’t.

“Explain,” Wintra demanded.

Coltyn took a steadied breath and recited, “Remember what you know about Hearths Warming night. Windigos are half-horse spirits that seem to thrive on fighting and hatred. The more hate in the heart the colder the world becomes ‘til the body is as cold as the heart inside.”

“Well, I can’t say that there isn’t the occasional struggle and strife, but why now?” Ironside wondered.

“They’ve never come this far south,” Coltyn offered. “There hasn’t been any sign of them within the borders of Equestria for centuries – not since the war between the tribes ended.”

“Something must have driven them here,” Wintra posited. “I think we should get some rest, it looks like we’re going to be on third watch tonight.”

The two guards nodded, returning to their barracks. Wintra led Coltyn down the streets to her parents’ home. Wintra approached the door and knocked; an older mare answered and immediately embraced Wintra.

“I’ve missed you so much,” she said, a stray tear rolling down her cheek. “You must be the young stallion who’s courting her.”

“Yes ma’am. I’m Coltyn Pendragon.”

“Well please come in,” she offered with a warm smile. “Stormbreaker, we have company,” she announced, ushering them to the living room.

“Who is it Gentle Breeze?” A rugged voice called from upstairs.

“It’s Thunder Snow and her colt-friend Coltyn.” Gentle Breeze replied, going into the kitchen.
A moment later a well-built stallion descended the stairs.

“Well this is a pleasant surprise,” Stormbreaker smiled. “What brings you out this way?”

“The weather unfortunately, we’ve come to see if we can get this winter weather to stop,” Wintra explained. “I was hoping we could use the guest room; we’ll need to be up all night.”

“Of course, but before you leave, I want to catch up a bit.” Gentle Breeze set down a tray with a tea kettle and cups.

Wintra and Coltyn regaled her parents with tales from their lives, making sure to leave out the more unsavory parts. Coltyn noticed that Gentle Breeze didn’t seem to notice the leaps in the stories but a slightly raised brow on Stormbreaker’s face confirmed that he knew he wasn’t getting the whole story. Their idle chat was sidetracked when the front door opened.

“Mom, Dad, I’m home,” the young mare called, knocking the snow from her hooves.

“Lightning Dust dear, your sister is here,” Gentle Breeze said, going to retrieve another cup.

A young mare walked in to the living room, Coltyn figured she was in the same age range as Twilight and her friends. The teal fur and bicolored yellow and gold mane and tail with the sleek musculature showed that she was very athletic. She nodded at Coltyn and Wintra, taking a seat across from them, as Gentle Breeze placed another cup in front of Lightning.

“So how was your day?” Stormbreaker asked.

“Slow as usual,” Lightning Dust drawled. “I can’t wait to get to the academy.”

“You were accepted to the Wonderbolt’s Academy?” Wintra asked, pride in her voice.

Lighting smirked, “Yeah, going show all those noobs how it’s done.”

Wintra took a thoughtful sip from her cup. “I think you might have some competition.”

“Really? I doubt that,” Lightning scoffed. “I’m the best flyer in Van Hoover.”

“I don’t doubt it; just know that you’re not the first pony to make that claim.” Wintra placed her cup down. “Sadly we have to be up for third watch and need to get some rest. Please excuse us.”

Nodding a polite farewell, the two headed towards the bedrooms. Just before they reached the end of the hall, Lightning Dust called out, “Congrats on the whole horn thing, by the way.”

“Thanks,” Wintra smiled before heading to bed.

“Sibling rivalry?” Coltyn asked teasingly.

“You have no idea.”

***

The moon was taking its place in the night sky as Coltyn and Wintra met with Captain Ironside and Commander Sentry. They decided to meet back together at 02:45 in the northern part of town to try to find the winter spirits. The time passed without incident; everypony was locked in their homes, not wanting to meet any of the spirits. The four gathered together at the appointed time and waited, Wintra took the highest building top giving her a clear view of the sky while Coltyn and the guards patrolled the outskirts.

At three o’clock the temperature dropped sharply, everypony scanned for the cause. The three on the ground didn’t see it, but Wintra did. A spark of light glowed dimly in the distance, the moon light reflecting off something, followed by the whine of Windigos. She saw one of the peaks of the Crystal Mountains shift and a growing darkness form beyond the light, as if it was attempting to swallow the light, then a louder cry echoed across the town. Massive storm clouds built around the shifting mountain growing rapidly as the wind picked up and snow began to fall. The mountains were soon obscured as the blizzard formed, covering the land in snow and ice. Wintra, having seen enough, descended, meeting with Coltyn and the others.

“There is a disturbance near the Crystal Mountains which seems to be the reason for this weather. We must go and find the cause if we are to stop this endless winter,” Wintra decreed.

“When shall we leave?” Coltyn inquired.

Looking out to the mountain, “After the weather stabilizes,” Wintra confirmed.

“It won’t be too long, this usually only last an hour,” Sentry informed.

“Then Coltyn and I shall leave then,” Wintra nodded.

“I would recommend that you take Sentry with you,” Ironside proposed, “He knows the lay of the land and will help get you there safely.”

“That would be appreciated,” Wintra smiled, “Captain Sentry you are now a Royal Guard.”

Sentry snapped to attention, saluting, “Yes, Princess.”

“Good. As soon as the weather lets up we are leaving.”

***

The weather let up and by five o’clock the three ponies were on the road to the Crystal Mountains. They walked using a Haste spell, allowing them to cover the almost three day trek in one day. They reached the valley which due to the raging windigos was covered in snow, except for a patch of land just at the foot of the mountains. The three exchanged looks of confusion and approached with caution. They reached the perimeter, looking at the massive snowless area.

“What happened here?” Wintra pondered aloud.

“I have no idea,” Coltyn replied, stumped.

“It looks like a huge city just up and vanished,” Sentry commented.

Coltyn’s eyes widened, “It can’t be.” He walked to the barrier and reached out a hoof. He felt the familiar residue of black magic that seemed to permeate the area.

“What is it?” Wintra asked.

“This area reeks of black magic. A powerful spell was cast here,” Coltyn shivered.

“Could you undo the spell?” Wintra queried.

“I don’t know what will happen. This is extremely powerful magic.”

“Do it. I don’t want this evil sullying the land.”

“Stand back.” Coltyn’s horn flared as whips of purple energy flared from the corners of his eyes. He let the magic flow, slowly reconstructing the seal that covered the land. The outline of a giant snowflake appeared in the valley and with a final push of power the valley was bathed in a blinding light.

As their vision returned, the three ponies stood before a huge city sprawl, three gems floated between two crystal pillars, marking the entrance. A huge white crystal castle stood at the center of the city surrounded by the many businesses and homes of the residents.

“This is incredible,” Sentry uttered in amazement.

“This entire city was here this whole time?” Wintra questioned with bewilderment.

“Oh no. No! Not him. This is bad,” Coltyn gasped, suddenly panicked. “Sentry, return to Canterlot and tell Princess Celestia that ‘IT’ has returned.”

“Coltyn, what is the matter with you?” Wintra demanded.

“This empire was lost over a thousand years ago – before I was foaled. I don’t know much except that it was ruled by the most evil unicorn to ever walk Equestria,” Coltyn explained. “Celestia must be informed immediately, time is of the essence.”

“Very well, Sentry, return to Canterlot and pass on Coltyn’s message,” Wintra ordered.

“It’s a long run back to Canterlot,” Sentry stated.

“I’ll teleport you to a cart in the royal carriage house, please tell Princess Celestia that ‘IT’ has returned.”

Sentry nodded as Coltyn wrapped him in magic, teleporting him to Canterlot.

“So now what?” Wintra asked.

“Now, we have to protect this city until the others arrive. We should go to the castle.”

The two walked into the town hoping to find the ponies that lived there and get some information but it wouldn’t be so. Everypony seemed to be in a deep magical slumber. Coltyn was amazed that none of them seemed to have aged a day in the over one thousand years they were gone. They reached the castle and nopony was inside, this put both Wintra and Coltyn on edge.

“I would have thought that somepony would be here,” Wintra pondered, walking into the throne room.

“They’re most likely in some kind of trance elsewhere. We need to let the others know what’s happening.” Coltyn pulled a card and quill from his pack and quickly wrote a letter.

‘To Cadance and Shining Armor;
Princess Wintra and I have gone to confront the windigos; there are other dangers that exist. Please keep the empire safe.
Coltyn Pendragon’

He set the parchment on the throne and turned toward the door.

“So we’re just leaving a note and leaving?” Wintra asked confused.

“We have to try and stop him from returning here,” Coltyn sighed. “I will go and face him alone if you wish to wait for your sister.”

“I lost you once already, I’m not about to have that happen again,” Wintra teased.
Coltyn nodded, smiling as the pair made their way out into the frozen tundra.

***

After a few hours of trudging through an ever raging storm they reached the center. Looking up they saw countless windigos circling a black crystal. Coltyn knew that the crystal contained the same dark magic that was used to conceal the empire. But before they could inspect it further a black pulse fired up from the crystal, exploding and causing the windigos to disperse. Coltyn and Wintra noticed that the crystal was cracked. Viscous black smoke seeped out of the crack, pooled together, and began to form into a translucent pony.

“Ah, I’m free,” the pony grinned, then noticed Coltyn and Wintra. “And I even have escorts to bring me back to my empire.”

“No,” Wintra scowled, “we’re here to stop you.”

The pony broke out in maniacal laughter. “Even in my current state I, King Sombra, can defeat both of you.”

Coltyn didn’t hesitate to prove him wrong and fired an energy blast for his head. Sombra turned into black smoke, avoided the attack, and retreated away from them. Wintra took to the sky and began firing ice blasts at Sombra while Coltyn chased firing his own energy blasts. Wintra was able to close to point blank range when suddenly Sombra leaped at her, engulfing her in his smoke body. When she reemerged black crystals had grown from her horn and she seemed to be disoriented as she crashed to the ground. Coltyn rushed to her side lifting her head to his.

“What did you do to her?” Coltyn demanded.

“Just a little gift to keep her magic in check,” Sombra smirked. “Now return me to my empire, foal!”

“You’ll never reign over those ponies again,” Coltyn affirmed.

Coltyn charged firing his horn at the smoke body but Sombra made holes allowing the blast to pass through unharmed.

“You’ll never beat me if you can’t hit me,” Sombra mocked.

Coltyn composed himself, breathing heavily, “Then let me show you something special.”

Coltyn gather energy in the tip of his horn, allowing a dark mass to form. His eyes turned black as the whips of purple formed around his eyes. Sombra looked on with intrigue as the energy sparked around Coltyn.

“Dark Force Blast!” Coltyn shouted, releasing a massive wall of dark energy at Sombra.

Sombra countered by creating a shield causing a massive energy struggle as the two pushed against each other trying to gain the upper hoof. Coltyn could feel that he was pushing Sombra’s spell back but it was taking a lot more energy than he though it should. He continued to push more energy into the spell, focusing on the point of resistance, trying to break through the shield but he could feel that he was reaching his limits. But he felt so close that he continued to push until there was no more in him, causing him to collapse. He looked up through the snow to see that although Sombra’s smoke form had weakened; he hadn’t killed him.

“So close,” Sombra huffed clearly exhausted, turning toward the Crystal Empire. “Have fun freezing to death.”

As Sombra’s form faded into the building snow storm Coltyn laid in the snow completely spent. A single tear froze against his cheek as his vision faded to black.

***

Wintra rubbed her head as she regained her senses. She watched as Sombra faded into the white tundra. She immediately looked for Coltyn who lay in the snow, motionless. She ran to him holding him close. She saw his chest rise and fall; she sighed with relief as she tried to teleport them but felt her magic cycle back upon itself. She looked up at her horn and saw little black specks across the length of her horn.

Wintra cursed under her breath as she pulled Coltyn onto her back. She saw a cave in the ice wall and dragged Coltyn inside before the windigos howled, announcing their return. Wintra covered Coltyn with her body as she felt the temperature plummet. She held onto him feeling the icy chill of the windigos aura around her, but her love and want to protect Coltyn shielded her from their powers.

She held him for hours before the chill wind stopped. She finally looked up to see that they were sealed into the cave. Wintra kicked the entrance but the ice wall was extremely thick. She snorted in frustration as she returned and curled up at Coltyn’s side. Knowing that there was nothing to do, she drifted off to sleep.

***

Coltyn awoke with the motion of something curling into the side of his chest. When he looked down he saw Wintra pressed against his body, most likely to keep them both warm. He looked around and noticed that they were in an ice cave with no visible exit. He sighed as Wintra turned, looking up at him.

“Glad to see you’re finally awake.”

“Yeah, I really need to stop expending my magic like that,” Coltyn realized. “So where are we? What happened to Sombra?”

“We’re stuck in an ice cave thanks to the windigos that returned after Sombra began making his way to the empire.”

“I hope we delayed him long enough for your sister and her husband to get to the empire. How long was I out?”

“So do I,” Wintra sighed, leaning into Coltyn. “You were out for I figure two or three days. What’s his story anyhow?”

“I asked that same question a long time ago. I was browsing my grandfather’s library when I came across one of his old journals that mentioned an Empire of Crystal. I looked other places but it was the only tome that mentioned this empire. When I asked him about it; I could see the pain on his face. He simply said, ‘Nopony likes to discuss their failures.’ I was shocked, my grandfather, Starswirl Pendragon, had failed.

“I wanted to know what could have hurt him so much that he would completely shut me out. He was almost too willing to regale stories of his life, except this one. I knew of only two others who would know the truth so I sought an audience with Princess Celestia, as she was Starswirl’s closest friend. She told me that a unicorn had gone to the empire, enslaved the crystal ponies, and brought misery and despair to the empire. He was defeated and the kingdom disappeared with him. She then asked me to, ‘let the wounds of the past heal.’

“I couldn’t leave it though; this had only raised more questions. I searched the archives looking for some answers only to find that any information about the empire ether didn’t exist or was removed. Shortly before my graduation Starswirl passed away, leaving everything to me, his only grandchild. As I dug through the scrolls and notes I found his personal diary, as I read it all became clear.

“Sombra was an apprentice of Starswirl's who was skilled and craved knowledge. He eventually found tomes on how to harness negative emotion to gain more power with the use of dark magic: Necromancy, Blood Magic, and Curses. He used that power to enslave the citizens of the Crystal Empire. The battle between him and Celestia's and Luna's parents was fierce, ending with his imprisonment but it cost them their lives. Starswirl was able to reclaim the tomes before the empire was lost with Sombra’s defeat. He locked the tomes and the journal in a secure chest and hid it with magic. I only found it because I knew he had a habit of hiding things that way. As I read through Sombra’s tomes I realized that without protecting the user’s soul the dark magic corrupts and drives the user mad.

“I learned the maddening magic but refused to use it. I needed a way to protect my soul from the corruption which is when I looked into the rare element known as Darksteel. I thought it would make me invincible but I was wrong. It basically froze me in time, I don’t age and after Nightmare Moon’s defeat I had no purpose. I was dead but couldn’t die so I focused on the only thing that seemed to give me reason, revenge.”

“So what happened; what changed?” Wintra ask curiously.

“You happened. You gave me purpose and a reason to continue. You saved me from self-destruction and a dark path had you not been born before Nightmare Moon’s return.”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand. What did I do?”

“When you were taken by Midnight Eclipse and I saw you, quivering and blood-soaked, I saw the true result of my dark heart and deeds. I took you away and sealed your wound but with all my knowledge I couldn’t do anything to save your horn. I looked at you and realized that I had to find a way to heal the damage. So upon returning you to Princess Celestia I set out with renewed purpose, to return what is rightfully yours. I relentlessly pored over tomes and medical journals for years, hoping to find an answer but broken horns were never something that was researched. As with you it was a matter of file down the horn and live as an earth pony or pegasus in your case. I could fill a library with the scrolls I’ve made but until I discovered the bond you shared with your sister, I couldn’t find the answer: love. Love is a truly remarkable force.”

The earth began to tremble under them, looking around Coltyn formed a shield around them just as a blast hit the front of the cave, revealing the exit. The two walked out greeted by a cool breeze and a bright azure sky on a winter afternoon. They looked up to see vivid streaks of magenta, blue, and yellow cross the sky.

“They did it,” Coltyn sighed with relief.

“Then let us return. I’m sure my sister is worried,” Wintra smiled, looking at her undefiled horn, walking back to the valley.

***

Looking down over the valley the Crystal Empire gleamed as streams of pink, blue, and yellow energy extended from the castle's peak. Coltyn and Wintra made their way down to the entrance and the entire town felt live. They looked around, feeling a completely different vibe then when they first arrived. There was life here again and all the ponies looked as if they were made of crystal rather than plain fur. Making their way up to the castle, they were greeted by a surprising sight; Cadance, Shining Armor, Spike, Twilight, and her friends all were crystalline as well.

"What happened?" Wintra asked in disbelief.

"That is a long story, which I think would best be told over the feast the crystal ponies offered to arrange," Cadance smiled, showing signs of exhaustion.

"It'll be held in the main dining hall this evening," Shining Armor added. "We must retire until then." Shining Armor urged Cadance back to the castle to get some much needed rest.

Wintra and Coltyn were taken by the others and shown around the town. As they made their way to the different sights Coltyn couldn't help but notice that Twilight seemed down hearted, though she wore a smile. Something was bothering her and given whom they had just fought, it could be any number of reasons. But that would have to wait until after dinner.

***

Over dinner Spike regaled the with - and from the exasperated look on Twilight's face every once and a while, embellished - their journey to find the Crystal Heart. Though his story was grand Coltyn felt that something was off; how did they find the secret staircase and what other traps did they find? Coltyn knew any mage worth his salt wouldn't just let the answer be straight forward. What Spike left out was probably the source of Twilight's quietness earlier. He would make sure she was alright when the others weren't around.

***

Late that night Coltyn wandered the castle to see if his suspicions were correct. He almost thought that he was wrong until he came to the throne room. There was Twilight, staring at the floor just in front of the throne.

"How are you holding up?" Coltyn asked, approaching her.

"I don't know," she choked. "So much happened in such a short time, I just don't know."

"You faced a powerful dark magic user. Maybe you'd feel better if you told me what really happened."

She nodded. "It was horrible. The first time I tried to cast a dark spell it was hard, I struggled to cast the spell Princess Celestia used to show me what would happen if Sombra took the Empire. My test was to save the Empire but I failed. I utterly failed," she sobbed as tears flowed down her cheeks.

Coltyn tried to find the words to comfort her.

"How do you keep control?" She turned, looking at Coltyn with her bloodshot eyes. "All it took was one little annoying door to use that magic again. It's such a violation of everything I've been taught. My soul feels tainted and I fear what might happen if I lose control or get angry again. I don't want to hurt my friends." She shuddered, the memory she saw flashing through her mind. "I don't want to fail Princess Celestia."

"I don't know," Coltyn admitted. "The first time I used dark magic was against a griffin. I didn't have control. I was fueled by rage and it consumed me and unleashed all my hate upon him. I told nopony of what I did and kept it all secret. It took a long time for me to assert my control over the magic alone."

Twilight looked down, "So I'm going to be alone in this battle."

"No, you have ponies who care for you and want you to be safe and happy. You are lucky, they can help keep the darkness at bay by being a light for you and I will be there as well as a guide through the darkness."

"My real concern is that now that I've used it I'll want to learn more. Kind of a downside to being an academic when it comes to magic. I just can't get enough and when I learn of something new I want to know all there is to know about it."

"I understand, but know this, Twilight: I will not teach you any dark magic. I can show you how to control the urge to use it but that is all," Coltyn firmly stated. "However, if after careful consideration and a comprehensive discussion of the risks and potential benefits of such knowledge, the Princesses agree that you should learn, then I will... but not before."

Twilight nodded, "I can understand that, especially after what I've seen it do."

"I can tell you that the journey from darkness isn't easy but the light you find at the end will make it worth the trip," Coltyn smiled, putting a hoof on her shoulder. "I believe that with your friends by your side there is nothing that you can't do."

Twilight nodded, smiling. "It's late and I have to catch the train tomorrow. Goodnight." She gave a quick hug before returning to her room.

Coltyn looked up at the throne, "Though you learn a lot about yourself on a journey through darkness, there is nothing better than finding the light of redemption."